Introduction

In 2002, ETUC launched a 2-year project on trade union action to tackle religious and racial discrimination [1] . Part of the work in the first year of the project involved the compilation of a report, analysing how trade unions in Europe have responded to the problems faced by recent migrant workers and their families. The report was based on a questionnaire which was sent to national trade union confederations.

The answers provided made it clear that the overwhelming majority of confederations recognise that recent migrants and their descendents face particular problems on the labour market and that they are acting to address these problems. Confederations are also acting to involve recent migrants and their descendents in their own structures and in some cases are making major changes to take account of their concerns.

Although there are common features across Europe, it is important to recognise that the context and history of recent migration varies from country to country. The legal position of migrants and their descendents also varies, depending where they have come from and the countries they have settled in. Trade unions too vary in their capacity to respond.

However, the report highlighted a number of areas and initiatives which have been undertaken and which could easily be replicated across our membership.

Following the publication of this report, it was agreed on the need to produce an Action Plan for all ETUC affiliates to encourage action at national level. In order to promote action at trade union level in this regard, the working group on Migrants and Ethnic Minorities agreed on the need to enlarge the action plan to cover a number of issues as follows:

A: To develop a trade union policy vis-à-vis the developing European policy on migration, regarding the integration and equal rights and treatment between persons, management of migratory flows and mainstreaming migration and integration issues into other EU policies;

B: Specific trade union actions to ensure equal treatment and rights for all workers;

C: A particular role for the ETUC and its institutions in developing and monitoring policies and actions on the European level by European institutions and social partners, and supporting its affiliates in implementing the Action Plan.

The Action Plan has been endorsed by the Working Group on Migrants and Ethnic Minorities.

The Action Plan can be used to implement par. 2.e. on ‘Mobility, immigration and social integration’ of the Action Programme, adopted at the ETUC 10-th statutory congress in May 2003 in Prague, points 39 to 46.

To bring the Action Plan and the relevant points of the Action Programme into practice will need a strong commitment by the ETUC and its affiliates. Hence the proposal to broaden the scope of the existing working group on Migrants and Ethnic Minorities, and to rename this group ‘Working group on Migration and Integration’.

The Executive Committee approved the enclosed Action Plan during its meeting of 16 October 2003.

Action Plan for an ETUC policy on migration, integration, and combating discrimination [2], racism and xenophobia

I. European policy on migration

A. With regard to integration and equal rights and treatment between persons, the ETUC will demand:

1. New legislation:

1.1 Continuous efforts to obtain European citizenship (i.e. the equal treatment of EU nationals and third country nationals, who are long-term residents) that entitles them to the same social and political rights;

1.2 European legislation on equal treatment between persons in accordance both with UN and ILO conventions and with the legal instruments of the Council of Europe;

2. A Council decision on a proposal for a directive concerning the status of third country nationals who are long-term residents, also catering for the specific needs and problems of transport workers crossing borders on a regular basis;

3. Transposition of a directive concerning equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin;

4. Campaigns to ratify UN and ILO conventions in the respective EU Member States and the accession countries.

B. With regard to the management of migratory flows, the ETUC will demand:

5. Common criteria to grant legal status to undocumented workers, and the development of measures to prevent and combat moonlighting and the exploitation of undocumented workers

C. With regard to incorporating the issues of migration and integration of third country nationals into other EU policies (mainstreaming), the ETUC will press for:

6. Defining quantified objectives to reduce unemployment amongst third country nationals and nationals of ethnic minorities in national plans for employment and social inclusion.

II. To promote a trade union organisation that is capable within its own ranks of achieving equal treatment and rights for all workers irrespective of racial or ethnic origin, religion and nationality:

The ETUC together with its affiliates shall take:

A. A specific approach, within the context of the promotion of equal treatment and the protection of human rights to:

Organize recruitment campaigns aimed at migrant workers (including both those undocumented and young people), and stimulate cross border cooperation between unions

8. Increase the number of migrant workers and those of ethnic minorities taking on union responsibilities by preparing and training them;

9. Reinforce the prominent role for the networks and/or specific structures;

10. Organize trade union training sessions on policies regarding migration, integration and combating of discrimination, racism and xenophobia in order to raise the awareness of trade union actors;

11. Pay special attention to female migrant workers and to those of different racial/ethnic origin;

12. Conclude collective agreements that incorporate issues referring to the situation of migrant workers irrespective of racial and ethnic origin and religion.

B. A mainstreaming approach:

13. Ensure that collective agreements and employment policies in general take up and are consistent with issues of (im)migration, inclusion and equal treatment of all workers irrespective of their origin or status.

C. Alliances:

14. Reinforce links with NGO’s and the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia, to combat racist and xenophobic movements.

III. The role of the ETUC and its institutions entails:

15. Exerting pressure together with all the trade unions on the European institutions in order to develop a European policy on migration, integration, and combating discrimination, racism and xenophobia;

16. Evaluating the implementation of the Florence Declaration within the context of European social dialogue and the social partners’ work programme, and ensuring that it is updated and that strong recommendations will be made with regard to its implementation;

17. Organizing, within ETUCO, training courses on migration and integration policies;

18. Systematizing EU, Council of Europe, ILO and UN legislation on equal treatment and rights for migrant workers and those from ethnic minorities, (ETUI - European Trade Union Institute), and to pursue and stimulate a more active use of jurisprudence to effectuate equal treatment and the protection of human rights;

19. Gathering and disseminating good trade union practices on migration, integration and combating discrimination, and particularly with regard to collective bargaining and employment policies;

20. Following up and evaluating action points for the next Congress.